SUNGAI SIPUT, April,8 (Bernama) -- All 24 Umno divisions in Perak have been asked to submit reports on alleged sabotage by their respective members in the 12th general election.

Perak Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali said the reports, a copy of which was to be sent to the state liaison committee, were to enable the party to take the necessary action.

"Also to be enclosed in the reports are documents to prove the alleged sabotage," he told reporters after a attending a meeting between Rural and Regional Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib and community development officials here Tuesday.

Speaking to the press for the first time since the March 8 general election, which resulted in the fall of Perak to the opposition, the former Perak menteri besar said initial reports found that the sabotage was allegedly done in groups where the affected Umno members either did not go out to cast their votes or voted for the opposition candidates.

Their action, he said, contributed to the dismal performance of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the last general election, including in constituencies regarded as "safe seats".

The BN only won 28 of the 59 state seats in the last general election, from 52 previously.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawei attributed the BN's defeat in Perak and Kedah to acts of sabotage and this had prompted Umno divisions in Perak to identify the saboteurs among the party members, who included those who campaigned for the opposition parties.

Meanwhile, Muhammad, who is also Umno Information Chief, said the reports should provide details on the alleged sabotage and the saboteurs.

"The reports should contain the names of the persons, location, pictures and names of the witnesses," he added.

In TANAH MERAH, its former member of parliament Datuk Shaari Hassan Tuesday alleged that there had been systematic sabotage by some Umno members against the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the constituency when he stood for re-election in the March 8 polls.

He lost to Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Amran Abdul Ghani by 2,527 votes in the contest, which also saw an independent join the fray.

Shaari told reporters here Tuesday that he had made police reports on the matter on March 7 and 9 and would be submitting a report on it to Umno's headquarters Wednesday.